Her Reputation (The Empire: Book 1)

  *

  Rhys slipped out of the tavern and into the darkened alley beyond. Rags were hung above that blocked the sunshine, despite its best efforts to penetrate their grimy fabric. Presently, another figure appeared, leaning up against the opposite wall. Rhys shifted so that the light from the tavern behind him shone on the newcomers face. The face scowled, and the man’s eyes darted around nervously.

  “I’ve managed to get you a meeting tonight,” he said in a hushed tone. “Behind the wool mill just after sunset.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “That you had information about her that you’d be willing to sell.”

  “Thanks,” Rhys said shortly and moved off after dropping a number of coins into the man’s outstretched hand. The other shadow slipped away into the crowd. Rhys meandered around the corner and paused before stepping out into the streets. His eyes searched the faces in the crowd, looking for signs of Jak’s men. He didn’t feel like having a run-in with someone’s fists today. His ribs were just beginning to feel normal again.

  Just as he was about to step out, he stopped short. An entourage of guards was rounding the bend. He slunk back into the shadows and waited, watching. The first few guardsmen rode past, and then, Rhys was surprised to see, Dame Natalya and her sister, Alina. The latter’s head turned in his direction for a brief moment, and he held his breath. The eerie look washed past him and she turned her head back towards the front. He wondered what the two of them were doing away from the palace.

  He ducked under a stall’s table and hoisted himself up onto a railing above which supported the cart’s roof. Still unable to get a good view, he swung his leg over the beam and in a quick movement was on top of it. From here, he leaped to the roof of the next building and crept to look down over the side.

  From this vantage, he was able to see the middle of the party. Princess Phoenix rode in the center, her beautiful white mare decorated in all its fancy celebration gear, including a headpiece that made it look like a dragon. Beside her, the two heralds and the young man that accompanied them rode, appearing to be asking her a barrage of questions. Rhys watched greedily as one of the heralds lifted an arm to point to a nearby building, revealing the riches within his robes.

  Rhys trembled with excitement. It was the first time the visitors had ventured outside the palace walls. All of his attempts to get close enough to relieve them of some of their wealth had gone interrupted while in such closed quarters. Perhaps catching them in the city would give him the opportunity he needed.

  He gently lowered himself down from the roof, vaulting himself the last few feet to the ground and landing with a quiet thud. He rose from the crouching position he’d used to cushion his fall and peered around the corner of the building. The party was just getting to the end of the street. Rhys did a quick mental tally of the businesses on their current route that they could possibly be visiting.

  Most establishments on the street were generic shops unworthy of a visit from the heralds. There was a high-end brothel house, the Golden Girls, nearby that many a nobleman stopped at during their visit to the palace, but with the Princess in tow, Rhys hardly thought that this would be their destination. Instead, he thought it was more likely that they would be going to the royal Gardens of Intrigue. It was by far the most interesting place nearby and one of the Princess’s favorite spots.

  The Gardens were a special project that Rhys’s mother, Katya, had spearheaded. Queen Layna had allowed Katya to commission a section of the royal grounds to be fenced in and used as a rehabilitation center for strange creatures once termed bloodbeasts. Katya disliked the term, and most people now referred to the animals within the Gardens simply as creatures of Intrigue, or beasts from the Gardens.

  Originally the beasts had been created with the use of blood-magic which was a forbidden art that required the use of blood-letting and the infliction of pain to gain more power than a mage otherwise would be capable. Back in the era of the Dark King, the use of blood-magic had run rampant and it remained a problem even several years into Queen Layna’s reign, perpetuated by a secret organization called the Order. Everyone Rhys’s age had heard the horror stories of blood-magic and the Order, but their lives had been blissfully free from their influence.

  The massive book-burnings after the Dark King’s reign had destroyed the histories that would have proven it, but it was commonly accepted that their ancestors had trapped these beasts under the Ferryn Plains in the north for lack of a way to dispose of them after the Dark King was overthrown. At the beginning of Queen Layna’s reign, remnants of the Order found a way to open a portal which released them from their prison. The result was a great battle where the King and Queen, along with Rhys’s mother, had fought off scores of these creatures. When the battle was over, there were many left over that hadn’t been killed and were no longer fighting against them. Queen Layna’s unusual abilities allowed her to “wash clean” as she described it, the evil which was done to them, the result being nonaggressive, if not completely normal, animals.

  The Gardens of Intrigue doubled as a home for these saved creatures, as well as providing a place for the people to go to learn about the events that had happened to Queen Layna, Katya, and King Gryffon before the unification. The Gardens would also provide him with a plethora of hiding spots. He could use the heralds’ visit into its winding pathways to attempt to steal something from them to at least pacify Jak for the moment.

  He sprinted down the side-streets, leaping over barrels and swerving among the crowds of people. He accidentally bumped into one merchant, making her spill her basket of cloth. He paused to help her get back into place before he hurried off. When he reached the area of the royal gardens, he slowed and looked around to see if he had beaten them there.

  The guards were all looking bored – a good indication that they were unaware of the excitement about to befall them. Assuming, of course, that Rhys had correctly guessed where the heralds and their entourage were going.

  He waited until his breathing had reached a more normal level before sauntering in through the front gates. The guards nodded and greeted him, “Good day.”

  He nodded back and maintained his slow pace until he was out of sight. Then, he rushed forward to hop over a nearby fence. He ducked below an outcropping of rocks and peered around.

  This was the pen that housed the bird creatures. Some looked like normal birds, with a few missing feathers, absent eyes, or scarred areas betraying their abused past. Others were hardly recognizable as whatever they had once been. During the reign of the Dark King, there had been many atrocities committed against both animals and humans alike. The beasts kept here all had horrible experiences before having been locked away for hundreds of years in the portal out on the Ferryn Plains.

  It was only when Queen Layna released and cleansed them that they were finally free of pain. Rhys couldn’t imagine having had such a life, in constant agony. It was a wonder that not all of the poor creatures were mad. Not to say that there weren’t those who were. Rhys’s mother, Katya, was the liaison between the Tribes and the rest of the kingdom, so naturally Rhys had spent a good portion of his childhood up in the Plains and beyond. He’d gotten to see all sorts of the beasts who hadn’t fared so well after their ordeal. He still had a nasty scar from one he’d attempted to tame. Those that were sent to the capital for the Gardens of Intrigue were the few who had come out of it still docile.

  A bird’s head suddenly popped around the boulder he was leaning up against and chirruped at him. He jumped a fraction of an inch at its grotesque appearance but calmed quickly. He reached into his pouch and crumbled up some of the bread he had inside. This he tossed to the animal – some sort of strange cross between a peacock and a raven which gave it an eerie, though still weirdly beautiful countenance.

  He crept through the enclosure carefully, making sure to remain hidden behind vegetation. He knew where each of the pat
hways that led through it for people to view the animals was located, and he avoided these. Soon, he came to a small hole in the fencing that separated this creature from the next. He lowered himself to the ground and wriggled through the opening. On the other side, he emerged in a hilly area. The hillside was covered in giant rock formations which were actually a series of caves. Katya had built these with magic so that people could walk through and view the creatures that preferred the dark. To the animals, they were simply their preferred habitat of caves, but the long tunnel that ran through them lit by a line soft glow of light was clearly man-made. The Princess was sure to bring the foreigners through this section as it was one of her favorites. She found the soft glowing light that many of the creatures put off to be mystifying. The almost complete darkness would also give Rhys the cover he needed.

  Before moving towards the caves, he swiftly climbed a nearby tree. From this vantage, he could just barely make out the entrance to the park, where many hurrying bodies told him that the party had arrived. He jumped down from the tree and slunk around the edge of the cave. There were a few spots where it opened to the outside, and though it was a tight squeeze, Rhys chose to use one of these rather than risk being seen using the normal entrance. Pressing his back against a mossy section, he squeezed sideways, inching his way into one of these openings. After a few feet, he became stuck and struggled to free himself. He could hear voices echoing off the stone walls.

  Holding his breath, he gave a great shove and broke free, landing on a ledge just above the pathway in blackness. He held still, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, and listened for sounds of the party’s approach. Footsteps echoed distantly.

  Moments later, several guards appeared waving torches around, glaring around the caves this way and that. Rhys slunk farther back into his hiding spot and held a black clad arm over his face. The light of the torches moved on and voices could be heard over the footfalls.

  “Many of these creatures have beautiful light displays, like the twinkling of firebugs, but brighter and more intense. They are really quite spectacular.”

  As Phoenix spoke, one of the creatures nearby deigned to demonstrate for her, and several people gasped at the display. Light bounced over the cave walls and sparkled where there were metals and gems embedded in the stone. The quick burst of light also served to pinpoint for Rhys where his target was. He chose the foreigner nearest to him and mentally marked where the man’s purse was. If he was lucky, they would move a few feet forward and pause to admire the creatures for a little longer.

  Luck was with him as he heard several footsteps, and then they stopped. The party held their breath in anticipation of another light show. Rhys moved silently to the edge of the ledge and wedged his feet into the stones on the wall so that he could anchor himself by his legs. Carefully, he began to lower his top half backwards so that he was hanging upside-down parallel to the wall and his prize. This way, he could reach sideways to grab the purse and then use the wall to help vault him back up. Suddenly, he felt something nudge his foot. It was all he could do to keep from jerking away or making a sound.

  He abandoned his mission and drew himself back up fully onto the ledge. One of the light creatures was nosing around his legs. As Rhys sat up, the creature padded over and started trying to flip open his pouch. Rhys froze. All the little thing had to do was decide to light up right at that moment, and he’d be caught. There was a whole party of people directly below him just waiting to see it.

  Very carefully, Rhys reached down and took the rest of the bread out of the pouch. The animal followed his hand like a hawk, and Rhys quickly tossed it as far away from himself as he could. Then he rolled over and threw his arms over his head once more. Bright light filled the cavern and the awed gasps sounded once more below. He waited for sounds that he had been spotted, but none came.

  “Do you have creatures like this in the wild here?” one of the heralds asked, and Rhys immediately honed in on the voice, shoving his feet back into position and lowering himself towards it.

  “No,” Phoenix replied. “These are all creatures who were altered during a dark time in our past. Such experimentation is no longer allowed, and these are all beasts who were saved from a life of pain to come live here.”

  Rhys reached carefully through the robes of the herald, biting his lip, and found the purse. With infinite patience, he pulled on the cord to open it. The swishing sounds of movement were his only warning that the man was about to resume walking with the rest of the party. Rhys made a quick grab, and his hand closed over something smooth and cold. He withdrew hastily, quietly moving deeper into the cave.

  He waited a few minutes, perched up on the ledge while listening to the retreating steps. When all he heard was silence, he squeezed carefully back through the crevice leaving outside. He blinked his eyes a few times to readjust to the sunlight and looked down at his hand. It was a vial of some sort of greenish liquid. The glass was corked with a pewter decoration, like many vines wrapping around the lid. Otherwise, it was unmarked. Rhys swore under his breath. This could potentially be one of the potions that they spoke about their mysterious Alchemist making for them. In which case, depending on what it was, it could be priceless. But without knowing what it did, it was worth next to nothing. Rhys shoved it into his own now-empty purse. Not only had he gained nothing, but he’d lost his lunch to the light creature.

  Grumbling to himself, he stomped back along the path to the gates. At the entrance, the guards hailed him once more.

  “Did you see the Princess, Master Rhys?” one asked, recognizing him.

  “No,” Rhys replied truthfully – it had been too dark to actually see her. “Was she here?”

  “Aye,” the guard nodded, looking smug that he had a piece of gossip to pass along. “She was here showing the visitors the place. They’ve got a strange look about them, don’t you think?”

  “I’m sure we look strange to them as well,” Rhys commented, but kept walking as he passed, not in the mood to get caught up in a conversation with the guards about the foreigners. He made sure he waved a friendly good-bye, however, as guards were an excellent source of information.

  He was so caught up in his annoyance over his failed attempt, that he didn’t even notice when a pair of clomping footsteps rounded a corner and fell into pace behind him. As he thought about the possible potion in his purse, he decided that maybe he could get someone to identify it, thereby making it worth something to sell to Jak. Or more likely, sell to someone else and pay off Jak. The man wasn’t known for his skill with magic.

  Lost in his thoughts, Rhys still didn’t notice as he slipped into an abandoned alleyway that the footsteps followed – until it was too late. As soon as he realized his mistake, he stopped and slowly turned to face his followers. It was Jessup and another of Jak’s enforcers that Rhys didn’t recognize.

  Groaning inwardly, and cringing involuntarily where the pain in his bruised ribs still persisted, he met Jessup’s eye. The man was grinning at him menacingly.

  “Afternoon, Rhys,” the thug grunted at him. “You’ve been a hard man to find lately.”

  Jessup slapped the large polished stick he was carrying into his palm a few times. The brute with him chuckled humorlessly, shifting his grip on a section of chain hanging from his hand.

  “I’ve been busy,” Rhys replied distracted. His eyes darted around the alleyway for a means of escape. He didn’t mean to stick around for another beating.

  Jessup moved fast, reaching towards his purse. Rhys responded by spinning out of the way. The other man lifted his arm to start an arc with his chain, building up speed to send it at Rhys.

  Rhys lunged outwards and grabbed hold of it himself, using his momentum to carry himself along the arc, and running along the wall. Instead of letting go of the chain which would have sent Rhys flying, the brute stubbornly held fast, letting him wrap it around the thug’s neck. Putting h
is whole weight behind it, Rhys held the two ends of chain tight. The man’s face turned red and his temples bulged.

  Jessup had recovered from his surprise at Rhys’s sudden movement and apparent disbelief in his actions, and he balled up a fist to aim at Rhys’s head. Rhys ducked out of the way and threw his weight sideways so that the strangling thug staggered to the right, putting his jaw directly in line with Jessup’s blow.

  The thug collapsed slowly to the ground, out cold from the combination of lack of airflow and the punch, and Rhys loosened the chain so that the man would be able to breathe once more as he leapt off him. He faced Jessup in a crouching position, carefully watching the movement of the club in his hand, and deftly sidestepped several passes that the larger man made at him. Maneuvering the man around so that he had his back up against a fence in between two alleys, Rhys waited until Jessup swung before he rushed at him. Jumping up onto a barrel next to the man, Rhys then vaulted off his bulk and up over the fence.

  Jessup’s hand raked at his fleeing form, and Rhys felt his paw close over his purse. With a moment’s regret, he released the purse, allowing Jessup to take the mystery bottle so he could escape. It was probably worthless anyway.

  Rhys hit the ground on the opposite side of the fence roughly, but he’d gotten away without even a scrape. That must be a record for a run-in with Jak’s boys. Unfortunately, next time he’d probably get it twice as bad even if he had the money.

  He raced back to the palace, though he avoided the main roads which added a few minutes. Jessup knew Rhys would immediately seek the safety of its walls so the added time made him nervous, but he figured it was safer than running into even more of Jak’s men. He was now fully aware of his surroundings, but no other thugs emerged from the shadows. As he passed by the guards and glanced back over his shoulder one final time, he saw Jessup and the other thug – looking rather worse for wear – stumbling out of an alley. They stood there glaring at him from across the street. They wouldn’t dare attack him in the open, especially not in front of the guards, but Rhys knew he was in for it.

  He moved faster through the courtyard, only slowing when the door shut with finality behind him. He gave a sigh of relief. But it proved to be short-lived. A servant hurried up to him.

  “Master Rhys,” the boy said, slightly out of breath himself, “the Queen requires your presence in the Great Hall.”